Merlin

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Merlin dictating his poems, French illumination from the 13th century

Merlin (probably from the Welsh Myrddin [ 'mɘrðin ]) is the name of one of the most famous mythical wizards of Western culture.

Origins

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There are two traditional characters for the legendary figure of Merlin: on the one hand Myrddin Emrys and on the other hand Myrddin Lailoken . However, the authenticity of these people is doubtful. Both are said to be from Carmarthen . Here, especially by AOH Jarman, a folk etymological connection is suspected, as the name of the place is derived from the Welsh Caerfyrddin or Caer Myrddin . In terms of folk etymology, this would then be translated as "Fortress of Myrddin", which is very controversial. More probable is the derivation of Carmarthen (Caerfyrddin) from the name Mori- or Maridunum, which simply means "sea castle", this name of the city has been known since ancient times.

A more conclusive derivation of the name Myrddin succeeds according to John T. Koch by deriving it from the Protoceltic, the word root mer- = crazy, unhealthy, senseless and (go) donios (Welsh: dyn) = person, man. Myrddin would then simply be nothing more than the name for a “crazy” person, an interpretation that is also reflected in the numerous legends about Lailoken, Myrddin Wyllt, etc. This interpretation would also explain quite well why the name Myrddin was often given nicknames like Wyllt , Emrys etc.: Myrddin Wyllt would then be nothing more than the “crazy savage”, Myrddin Emrys the “crazy Ambrosius” etc.

Myrddin Emrys

Merlin was first mentioned in literature by Nennius in his work Historia Britonum from the 8th to 9th centuries. He describes the myth that Merlin is brought before the British King Vortigern as a "child without a father" in order to ensure the safe construction of his castle as a human sacrifice. Here, however, the boy impresses those present with a prophecy about the ground on which the castle is to be built, that it will not be sacrificed. He predicts a fight between a white and a red dragon that will take place underground so that the castle cannot be built. It is a metaphor about the upcoming war between Britons and Saxons.

Myrddin Lailoken

In Welsh lore, Myrddin Lailoken is the name of a famous poet and seer who is said to have gone mad at the Battle of Arfderydd . He fought for King Gwenddoleu fab Ceidiaw against Rhydderch Hael , from whom he finally fled to Scotland. There he receives the gift of prophecy in the solitude of the woods.

Merlin at Geoffrey of Monmouth

Around 1135 Geoffrey von Monmouth took over Merlin in his Historia Regum Britanniae Merlin as a fatherless boy and the legend of Vortigern's castle, but referred to him as the son of an incubus and a nun of royal descent. This seems to be the figure of Merlin Ambrosius, who mirrors the youthful Merlin.

It is possible that Geoffrey of Monmouth merged these two figures anchored in Island Celtic mythology in Merlin, with the poet-prophet Emrys appearing as a young Merlin and Lailoken as an experienced, wise magician. He probably saw a single person in both traditional forms. In the Vita Merlini , created around 1150, the figure is further developed and linked to the Arthurian legend for the first time .

Arthurian epic

The seduction of Merlin by Nimue

Through the transfer of the Historia regum Britanniae by Wace in the Roman de Brut in 1155, the legend material came into French literature , where it was included by Chrétien de Troyes , among others . Merlin now appears as Arthur's magician and advisor, who withdraws from the world at the end of his life. Robert de Boron expanded the story in his verse novel Histoire de Merlin in 1210 . He makes Merlin Arthur's tutor and traces both the Round Table and the search for the Grail back to Merlin. The cycle of legends Prose Lancelot was created around 1225 , in which Merlin's role as advisor to Arthur and his father Uther Pendragon is further expanded. In the first part of the Prose Lancelot , the Estoire del Saint Grail , the prophetic Merlin is still depicted as a demonic character, while in the later parts from the Estoire de Merlin he appears mainly in connection with the search for the Grail. Here, too, both the round table and the search for the Grail go back to him, and the regulation for Uther's succession is also included, according to which the new king who can pull the Excalibur sword out of the stone becomes the new king . In the 15th century, Thomas Malory compiled various French and English Arthurian narratives in Le Morte d'Arthur , which was published by William Caxton in 1485 and served as a template for most of the later adaptations of the material.

As part of the Arthurian legend, a female principle is contrasted with Merlin. This is either a helping hand, which appears as the "Lady of the Lake", often referred to as Vivianne, and supports Merlin and his protégé Arthur. A slightly stronger variant is the figure of Nimuë , who is more often understood as Merlin's lover. It is also said that Merlin falls for her and she kills him or imprisons him. A third principle is often depicted in Morgana or Morgue, which appears as an opponent and enemy of Merlin. However, the names are often mixed up and the character boundaries are not always clearly delineated. Merlin appears for the first time in German-language literature in the verse novel Merlin by Ulrich Füetrer . Here he meets and falls for the fairy Viviane in the forest of Brocéliande , where he falls into eternal sleep.

Neo-paganism

Especially in Celtic Neopaganism it is common to adorn oneself with the surname Merlin. This seems to be especially popular in England . Furthermore, authors of esoteric textbooks in this area often refer to Merlin, often in the context of a mentor such as Douglas Monroe.

Modern literature

Marion Zimmer Bradley describes in her novel The Mists of Avalon Merlin not as a person, but as the title of the highest druid in Britain. During the fall of Avalon , during which time the novel is set, the title is borne by a person named Taliesin . A link between Myrddin and Taliesin is found in the Four Ancient Books of Wales , in which Myrddin is accepted as the author of the Black Book of Caermarthen and Taliesin authored the Book of Taliesin . It is possible that Zimmer Bradley deliberately used this connection, but the use of the name Merlin as a title has not been scientifically proven.

Mary Stewart describes the life of Merlin in Flaming Crystal (The Crystal Cave 1970); The Heir (The Hollow Hills 1973); Merlin's Farewell (The Last Enchantment 1979); Day of Doom (The Wicked Day 1983). She tells and interprets the events of the Arthurian saga from the point of view of Merlin, who is portrayed as an unusually talented and educated person, and is based on Chrétien de Troyes , but at the end of each book she quotes the version by Geoffrey of Monmouth .

Clive Staples Lewis can Merlin in the third part of its Perelandra trilogy ( That Hideous Strength [1945] dt. The evil force ) occur. When England is threatened by a satanic conspiracy with world domination ambitions, Merlin is brought to life and helps to bring down the secret society.

It is also possible that the stories of Merlin influenced JRR Tolkien in creating his fictional character Gandalf from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings .

The character of Merlin is also used in many other novels and stories, not least in fantasy role-playing games .

One of the few novel series that treat Merlin's childhood is the Merlin saga by TA Barron . It tells a story about the young Merlin in five books, up to the point in time when he leaves for Camelot to become King Arthur's legendary advisor.

Merlin in film and television

see Arthurian epic in art, literature, music, film and computer games

See also

swell

literature

  • Silvia Brugger-Hackett: Merlin in the European literature of the Middle Ages. Helfant Edition, 1991.
  • Christopher Dean: A Study of Merlin in English Literature from the Middle Ages to the Present Day: The Devil's Son. The Edwin Mellen Press. Lewiston 1992.
  • Peter Goodrich, Norris J. Lacy: Merlin: A Casebook. Taylor & Francis, 2003. ISBN 0-203-50306-6 .
  • Wilfried Kuckartz: Merlin: Myth and Present. Verlag Die Blaue Eule, 1988. ISBN 3-89206-227-7 .
  • John Matthews, RJ Stewart: Merlin through the ages: a chronological anthology and source book. Blandford, 1995. ISBN 0-7137-2466-8 .

Web links

Commons : Merlin  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ John T. Koch: Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara 2006, p. 1326.
  2. ↑ Proto-Celtic to English Wordlist (PDF; 390 kB)
  3. ^ Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 .
  4. ↑ a b Meyer's Large Conversation Lexicon. Directmedia Publ., Berlin 2004, DVD-ROM edition, 6th edition 1905 - 1909, ISBN 3-89853-500-2 , Volume 13, pp. 640 f.
  5. ^ Sylvia and Paul Botheroyd: Lexicon of Celtic Mythology. Diederichs-Verlag, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-424-01077-4 .
  6. ↑ Norris J. Lacy: Merlin - A Casebook. Routledge, New York 2003, ISBN 0-8153-0658-X .
  7. ↑ Roland Biewald: Small Lexicon of Occultism. Militzke Verlag, Leipzig 2005, ISBN 3-86189-627-3 , p. 118. Entry: Merlin
  8. ↑ Douglas Monroe: Merlyn's Legacy. Bauer , Freiburg im Breisgau 1996, 4th edition, ISBN 3-7626-0502-5 .
  9. ↑ Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Mists of Avalon. S. Fischer Verlag , Frankfurt 1999, 28th edition, ISBN 3-596-28222-5 .
  10. ↑ Compare Four Ancient Books of Wales on Wikipedia.
  11. ^ Frank P. Riga: Gandalf and Merlin: JRR Tolkien's Adoption and Transformation of a Literary Tradition . In: Mythlore . tape 27 , no. 1 , September 22, 2008, Article No. 5 (English, swosu.edu [PDF; accessed March 6, 2020]).